


Business As Usual, Just Heavier

by National_Nobody



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon (presumed) character deaths, Hurt/Comfort, I have a lot of Roy feelings, M/M, Post S2, Rating May Change, Spoilers for YJ S2 finale, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 13:49:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12110082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/National_Nobody/pseuds/National_Nobody
Summary: A series of Roy moments taking place around, near & after the end of YJ Season 2.Kal comes home, Lian is cute, Roy & the gang dealing with a major loss, Roy gives love another try, etc





	1. Chapter 1

The knock on the door was quiet but firm. Roy paused by the open fridge, its limited light pouring out into the otherwise dark and dingy apartment. The shades had been drawn tight over the windows, keeping out the creeping light of dawn so Roy could make an unsuccessful attempt at sleep. For a moment he thought he must have misheard. His brow furrowed and he stepped quietly to the couch, grabbing his bow.

It wasn’t that he doubted hearing a knock. It was the quality of the sound itself, and what it meant for who was standing there, that sent him questioning. There weren’t a lot of people in his life that he could identify based only on the smallest sounds they made. Their footsteps. Their sharp breathing as they fought. Or, in this case, a knock. But Aqualad was one of them, and that sound was indisputably his.

Except that Kaldur had been off running around with Black Manta’s goons for the better part of a year and hadn’t given Roy so much as a smoke signal since a little after Tula’s funeral. For a long time, as far as Roy knew, he’d abandoned them all. And if not for the night that he came home to find Jade (lounging naked on his counter with hair smelling like the sea) explaining casually between sips of scalding green tea that her sister was still alive so she’d spared Kaldur’s life, he might have given up on Kal for good. But even with that sliver of hope that Kal was still on their side, Kal himself hadn’t _once_ bothered to contact him about his plan or his endgame. Why the hell would he show up now?

He approached the door slowly, bow raised and heart fluttering. He’d already had a long, emotionally draining night. The last thing he wanted was to have to fight his old best friend first thing in the morning. The knock came again. Roy swallowed.

“What do you want, Kaldur?” he asked gruffly through the door.

“Perhaps you would know if you were back in the habit of listening to your phone messages, old friend,” Kaldur’s muffled voice answered.

“You mean the glorified paper weight you gave me before you disappeared for a little father-son bonding? Why waste my time when I already know the message count’s at zero?” Roy jabbed. He heard Kaldur sigh.

“Roy, please. It is a bit hard to explain or apologize with a door between us.”

“How do I know it’s not a trap? Full offense, but you haven’t exactly been playing nice with any of your ‘old friends’ lately.”

“Because I have been standing here for over five minutes, yet your door is still intact for us to speak through in the first place.” Kaldur said exasperatedly. “Roy, I...today has been...I need to see you. Please,” he said, voice breaking.

Roy lowered his bow. Kal sounded, at best, well and truly exhausted, and at worst, somewhat traumatized. He wasn’t here for a fight. He undid the locks carefully, nervous to see Kal again after so long apart. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure whether he was more angry with Kaldur for his behavior, or relieved that he was still alive enough to come crawling back. He took a breath, then pulled the door open slowly.

Kal stood leaning against the doorframe, his civilian clothes unusually disheveled. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced than Roy had ever seen them, and the start of a bruise was blooming on his cheek. From the way he was standing, his clothing likely hid further wounds underneath. Roy’s gaze softened.

“Shit, Kal, you look terrible,” Roy murmured. Kal smiled ruefully.

“You do not. Or at least, you look less terrible than when I saw you last,” he said, giving Roy a quick once-over. “I am glad to see you finally cut your hair again. And perhaps have even been eating properly?” Roy snorted.

“If lots of beer and take-out counts as properly, then yeah, sure, let’s go with that,” he said. Seeing Kal in this state was sucking the anger right out of him. He looked ready to sleep for a month straight. “Alright, grab a seat before you fall over, I’m not carrying you over there.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Kal said gratefully. He sat heavily on the couch, sighing as though it were a bed from a five-star hotel instead of a crappy old futon Roy had been meaning to replace for years. Roy flicked on a lamp and a light in the kitchen so they could actually see each other properly.

“I was just about to make some eggs or something, you want some?” Roy offered. Kal shook his head.

“Just a glass of water would be fine, if you do not mind,” he said. Roy handed it to him, taking a moment to look Kal over more carefully as he drank. He realized with a start that the reason Kal’s clothes looked funny was because they definitely weren’t his.

“Is that-are you wearing Nightwing’s sweatshirt? How the hell does that even fit you?” Roy asked incredulously, ignoring the flare in his chest. He’d gone to see Dick first over him? Kal shrugged.

“He is not so different in size from me now-a-days. Besides, there was not enough time to return home. I only just, ah, ‘left’ the Light’s services a few hours ago, so to speak,” Kal paused, massaging the back of his neck. “Simply put, it has been a long thirty-six hours.”

“You know, normally after something sounding that shit I’d ask if I even wanted to know.” Roy crossed his arms, feeling prickly again, “but frankly you have so much damn explaining to do I’d be fine with you writing me a book, so start talking. You can start with what the hell you and Artemis were thinking faking her death like that. I’ve never seen Jade that thirsty for blood. Do you have any fucking idea how much that—”

“Roy,” Kal raised a hand, cutting him off. “I promise you, I will explain everything. But to do that you must actually allow me to speak.”

Roy scowled, but noticing how Kal’s typically sparkling celadon eyes now appeared dulled and darkened, he clamped his mouth shut and moved back to the stove, cracking his eggs over the heated pan. “I’m listening,” he grumbled. Kal took a deep breath, running a hand over his face.

“Since Cheshire told you about our meeting on board Manta’s sub, perhaps you have already surmised my true intentions with the Light. To infiltrate it, and the Light’s partner, the Reach, from the inside in a deep cover mission that has spanned for over half a year now,” Kaldur said carefully. “No one apart from Nightwing, Kid Flash, Artemis, and I knew my betrayal was a farce. We needed to find a way to stop the invasion at all costs, and Nightwing was adamant about keeping this one close to the chest so as not to endanger the operation more than necessary.”

Roy snorted. “How very Batman of him.”

“Perhaps. But yes, seeing as we decided to keep both the Team and the League out of it...well. Needless to say you are not the only one angry with us,” Kal crossed his arms guiltily. “In any case, at a certain point it became clear that gaining the Light’s trust, despite my familial connection to Manta and public disownment of my Aqualad identity, would prove harder than even Nightwing had anticipated. That is why I needed Artemis. Her ‘death’ was not only grounds to prove my loyalty to Manta, but an opportunity for much needed backup.”

Kal leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and interlocking his fingers. “Artemis was the most qualified choice, and as leader of the Team, I will not apologize for having Dick ask her, nor on her behalf for accepting the assignment. After all, this has by far been one of the most desperate hours the Team, or the League, has ever had. However,” Kal met Roy’s eyes apologetically, “as your friend, I truly am sorry for the pain that choice has caused.”

“Yeah, well,” Roy said, slightly mollified, “She and I have never seen perfectly eye to eye, but she is family. In more ways than one.” he sat on the floor in front of the coffee table across from Kaldur, plate in one hand. “I just wish you would have let me in on the loop too. You _never_ keep shit like this from me. That’s usually my gig for _you_ to lecture _me_ about.”

Kaldur smiled. “Yes, between the secrets and the going rogue, this has been somewhat of a role reversal for us.” He sighed. “I _had_ hoped to let you in on at least some of the plan, hence why I gave you the burner phone, but it quickly became clear that to do so would have put everything in jeopardy. Manta may have been...enthusiastic to have me join him, but he also kept a very close watch on me. In truth, I am still unsure how I ever managed to contact Nightwing at all. Or how I pulled off _any_ of this plan without literally losing my head,” he half-joked.

“No kidding,” Roy looked soberly at his friend. “You know, after Artemis, I really thought I’d never see you again. The look on Jade’s face when she told me it was you who’d ‘murdered’ her…” He shook his head, pausing to keep his voice from breaking. “Who could blame her, I wanted to punch you half to hell myself. But I didn’t want you _dead_. As soon as she left, I thought ‘that’s it, he’s never coming home.’”

“You can thank M’gann for that. Had she not been there, I undoubtedly never would have.” He leaned back, draping an arm across the back of the futon. “Of course, I never would have been so vulnerable either had she not attacked my mind in the first place, but how can I blame her? Artemis is her closest friend. Who is to say that I would not have done the same in her position?”

“So she really brain blasted you to pieces, huh?” Roy shuddered. “That Martian scares the shit out of me sometimes.”

Kal laughed. “Yes, her power is something else altogether. But so is her compassion, thankfully.”

“And in the end you still managed to fool your old man and his pals. Not an easy thing to do.” Kal nodded, looking down as his gaze seemed to shift far away. There was confusion there in his eyes, and something like pain. Roy hesitated, twirling his fork.

“You uh, wanna talk about it? The whole dad thing, I mean?” Roy asked.

Kaldur sighed, snapping back to the present and bringing his hand back to his temple. “I will admit, there were times I felt somewhat...conflicted. I had not expected,” he paused, trailing off. “It is easy to think our enemies are nothing but selfish. Lacking any compassion. Often, that is the choice that Manta makes. He believes the world is a brutal and unforgiving place, where only the ones strong enough to take what they ‘deserve’ will thrive.” Kaldur noted, contempt creeping into his voice and his disapproving frown.

“On the other hand, he commanded genuine respect and loyalty from his soldiers. Cared for his men, and kept us all sticking strictly to what he viewed as his code of honor. In that respect, he is not so different than others I have served under.” He stared down at his hands. “I suppose I simply never anticipated that Manta could actually care for me. Though I disagree with all that he stands for, his...love for me. It was real, in his own way.” Kal’s eyes softened. “Even as I betrayed everything he worked for, he defended me. Held my supposedly ‘dead’ body in his arms when he could have easily cursed me or cut me to pieces.”

“A parent’s love. It’s funny like that.” Roy said quietly. Kal murmured a noise of agreement.

“Speaking of," Kal smiled, "Artemis did mention she had a new niece,” he said, resting a hand on Roy’s shoulder. “Congratulations.”

Roy tossed a small smile back. “Yeah, thanks. It was, uh, quite the surprise,” he laughed lightly. “Who’d have thought I’d ever be a dad, huh? And god, Kal, you should see her. She’s...she’s perfect.” he said reverently, smiling to himself. “You always hear how, like, holding your kid for the first time supposedly changes your life forever? I didn’t really believe it until Jade showed up out of the blue one day, after having left for who knows how long, and handed her to me. It was like a goddamn switch. Saved me from myself, honestly. Jade put her in my arms and told me I had to get my head on straight for Lian’s sake or else, and it worked. I knew what is what like to be driven to improve myself before, back when it was, you know, programmed in me,” Roy's smile soured, “But this was something else. It was like nothing in the whole world but her mattered anymore,” he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

“Shit, listen to me. Guess it was about time someone else brought out the sap in me other than you,” he joked. Kal chuckled.

“She sounds like a special little girl. I have no doubt you will do right by her, Roy. You may doubt yourself, but caring for the ones you love most? It is second nature for you.”

Roy smiled. “Thanks, pal. But anyway, enough with all the feelings. I’m not Dick or Wally, you know, I can only deal with this crap in small doses.”

Kal laughed. “Perhaps a toast then before I head out to get some sleep.”

“At 8am, Kal? Wow, guess the baddies did have some influence on you,” Roy teased. Kaldur rolled his eyes.

“Trust me, my friend, you are the only bad influence I allow over me.”

“To my fantastic corruption skills then,” Roy winked, handing Kal a beer and clicking their bottles together.

“To new life,” Kal smiled, “and to our reunion.”

“A-fucking-men,” Roy agreed.

They both drank deeply, and for a moment Roy felt something like contentment. Kal was really back. He didn’t have to lose his best friend after all. He took in Kaldur’s familiar features, noticing how the stress of the undercover work seemed to have aged him slightly, and his heart panged a little.

“So how the hell _did_ you get out of there? Just now with the Light, I mean.” Roy asked, carrying his dishes to the sink, pulling up the window shades to let a little more daylight in, then joining Kaldur on the futon. Kal’s smile faded. He sighed, rubbing at his side unconsciously.

“The Light and the Reach planned a summit, the timing of which has been crucial to our efforts to exonerate the members of the League who are still on Rimbor as we speak.” Kal explained. “We planned for most of the team to disguise themselves and hide in their ranks in ambush once Artemis and I made our move. We had finally gathered enough information to pit both sides against each other. To reveal the truth that both groups thought they were playing the other for fools, with the hopes that it would spark both sides to admit to their involvement for us to record. It worked, though it did not go exactly as planned. Some members of the Light chose not to come to the proceedings and so we were unable to take them down. And just earlier this morning we had to re-track down Black Beetle, a Reach warrior who has been a complication for months now.”

“He’s the one who gave you the pummeling huh?” Roy asked, ghosting his fingers over the spot Kal had been massaging and tossing him a sympathetic look. Kal seemed to relax slightly under his touch.

“Yes, to put it lightly. However, Blue Beetle managed to overcome him and find out some crucial information that was still unknown to us.” He paused, holding Roy's gaze. “In fact, I hate to ask, but we could use your help. We are not yet out of harm’s way, and in fact are in more danger than before. We will likely need everyone we can for what lies ahead. Tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Roy asked, sitting up straighter. Kal’s face went deadly serious, but for a beat he said nothing. Roy’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, suddenly jittery. “For fuck’s sake Kaldur, answer me. What the hell’s happening?”

“The Reach are bound by an agreement with the Lanterns. An agreement they have broken. And since they cannot have the Earth for themselves, they have decided to destroy all evidence of their tampering. After all, what is our planet to them, in the grand scheme of the universe that they have attempted to conquer in the past?” Kal said bitterly.

“So they’re what? Blasting the whole planet to hell?” Roy demanded. “Where are the bombs? What do they have that could have that type of firing power? I thought the War World was gone!”

“It is. But the Reach left a series of Magnetic Field Disruptors in their wake with the means to destroy the entire planet in mere minutes. Luckily for us, they require a certain amount of time to ‘charge up’ so to speak. There is unfortunately nothing we can do at the moment except to wait for Luthor to give us the technology to render the MFDs useless—”

“Hold up, _Luthor?_ Are you kidding me? You’re trusting _Lex Luthor?_ ” Roy raged, leaping to his feet. “Did being all chummy with one of the top dogs of the Light make you forget he’s the grade A asshole that ruined me and Arsenal’s lives? What the fuck are you thinking, Kal?”

“Roy, please calm down,” Kal begged, resting a hand over Roy’s fist. “I understand this is not ideal, but like I said, these _are_ desperate times. Luthor is not to be trusted, to be sure, but this is his planet too. In this instance he wants to save it, and himself, as much as the rest of us. And as I recall, this would not be the first time the two of us have somewhat teamed up with Luthor for the sake of the greater good.”

“That was different. That was before I knew.” Roy crossed his arms, still seething.

“Roy,” Kal sighed tiredly.

“Yeah, yeah, let me guess. We don’t have any other options,” Roy said, glancing away toward the window. “To be clear, I don’t like this. At all. But...fine. What do you need me to do?”

“For now, just prepare yourself. Until we get word from Luthor that the devices are complete, there is little we can do but rest before the fight begins.”

“Perfect.” Roy deadpanned, sitting heavily back down beside Kaldur and rubbing his face. “Damnit. Guess I should call Jade. Not for help, I mean, but if we’re getting blown up tonight I’m not going anywhere until I get a chance to see Lian.” His eyes softened, and his voice grew gentler. “Just in case.”

“That would be wise, I think,” Kal said. His gaze shifted out of focus a moment, a frown appearing as he seemed to contemplate the (likely long) list of things he needed to do as well. Roy’s heart stuttered. He wasn’t ready for him to leave. Not yet.

“Hey, you know you can crash here if you want to. Have a chance to meet Lian yourself,” Roy offered. “I think I still have one of your shirts that I borrowed once hanging around here somewhere. And this place isn’t much, but if you want to shower, clean up your wounds, and eat a little something or whatever, I’ve got you covered.”

Kaldur met Roy’s gaze and seemed to recognize the fear there despite Roy trying to hide it. “Sure, I would like that,” he said gently. He didn’t seem all that eager to leave again either, so soon after finally meeting back up and with the threat of the end of the world hanging over their heads.

“Ok. Make yourself at home then, I’ll call Jade.” Roy said, clapping Kal on the shoulder then getting up to grab his phone. He could feel Kal watching him, heard him finish off the beer Roy had given him, and wondered what he was thinking about. When he turned back to him after finishing the call, however, Kal was already soundly asleep where he sat. Roy huffed a silent chuckle, draping a blanket over him and wedging a pillow behind Kal’s head. Poor guy. In their line of work, they were all put through the ringer a lot. This mission though...Roy shook his head. Way brutal. He looked warmly at his sleeping friend and gently wiped some dried blood that he hadn’t noticed earlier off of Kal’s neck, just above his gills, letting his hand drift down to linger on his collar bone

“Glad you’re home, Kal.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bits of the beginning will sound familiar, as this partially takes place during the last episode of YJ S2. As always, even though this is my interpretation, I don't own any of these characters or that episode's plot/dialogue, etc. etc.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Recognize: Red Arrow B06, Arsenal B25._

Roy stepped raggedly away from the Watchtower’s Zeta tube to lean heavily on the wall, panting with exertion. Next to him, Arsenal did the same, leaning on his knees.

“That,” Roy said, “Was too close.”

“Whatever, we’re back. It’s done,” Arsenal said, rubbing his arm just above the weaponized contraption that now served as his hand and forearm.

“Yeah,” Roy wiped his forehead with his uniform. “Uh, nice moves out there by the way,” he said tentatively. “You’ve, uh, really got using that arm worked down to a science now.”

“Thanks. Um, you too. With your bow I mean,” Arsenal said, standing up straight again and shooting Roy the smallest of smiles.

He returned it, relieved that their uneasy partnership had gone better than planned. Roy had looked at Captain Atom like he had two heads when he assigned the two of them to take down an MFD together. After all, he and the other Roy hadn’t seen each other since...well since he’d brought the original Roy back to them in February. In fact he’d been fairly convinced Arsenal would have been fine with _never_ seeing him again, and who could blame him? Had Roy been the original and not the clone, he wasn’t sure he’d want to deal with the weirdness of their situation.

But it hadn’t been bad at all, really. Since the original Roy had been on ice long enough for there to be a significant age difference between them, and then had changed so dramatically after taking up the Arsenal persona, they really were two completely different people. It was more like meeting up with a long lost twin rather than the guy he was a copy of. At least they could speak to each other now without it being _too_ weird. He smiled to himself. Who knew, maybe they could even be somewhat friends one day. He’d kind of like that.

“Just waiting on one more” said Carr, coordinating at the monitors.

 _“Canary to Watchtower. Asami has deployed the egg and disabled the MFD,”_ Dinah’s voice came in over the comm. Roy smiled with relief, walking over to stand by Kaldur.

“Good work theta! Twenty squads deployed, twenty MFDs destroyed! The mission was a success, we’ve done it!” Carr said triumphantly.

“We missed one,” The Atom corrected, tossing a screen up with Earth’s magnetic field on it for them all to see. “The earth’s magnetic field is still being disrupted.”

 _“Blue Beetle to Watchtower.”_ Jaime’s voice rang out furtively from the comm. _“I’m reading a twenty-first MFD, in the arctic, hidden from my previous scans by Earth’s north magnetic pole. Sending coordinates.”_

“There are no Zeta Tubes in the arctic,” The Atom noted quickly, “How are we going to—”

 _“Don’t worry, gang,”_ Barry’s voice reassured over the comm. _“I’ve got this.”_

 _“Not without me you don’t!”_ Impulse chimed in after a beat. “ _Teams of two remember? Let’s go in and crash that MFD’s mode! Follow me, gramps!”_

“Aw, crap,” Roy heard Wally whisper. He caught Wally’s eye, the nervousness plain on Wally’s face, and tried to give him a reassuring nod. Wally swallowed, nodding back and turning his face back to the screens.

_“Flash to Watchtower. The Magnetic Field Disruptor...it’s already gone chrysalis. I’m not sure if the egg —” _

_“The egg is useless now,”_ Luthor confirmed gravely. _“You’re too late.”_

A hush fell over the room for a moment as they all registered what that meant. Roy’s heart sank. No. They’d been so close. There _had_ to still be something left to do. Roy turned to Kaldur and saw he was already steeling himself, fists tightening. Roy placed his own hand over Kal's and felt him relax enough to weave their fingers together. Well, as together as they ever could with Kal’s webbing in the way.

“ _What now?”_ Barry demanded, seemingly undaunted.

“ _Now, you run,”_ Luthor answered.

“ _Hey, I’m no quitter,”_ Barry snapped, _“There’s gotta be —” _

_“I didn’t say run_ away _, I said_ run.” Luthor corrected. “ _Together, you and Impulse_ should _be able to negate the chrysalis by running counter to its energy flow.”_

 _“Is it really that simple?”_ Barry asked incredulously.

“I wouldn’t call it simple,” Atom argued. “You’ll be attempting to siphon its power with your own speed trails. It’ll take a _massive_ amount of kinetic energy —”

Before any of them could blink, the Zeta beam was buzzing to life.

_Recognize: Kid Flash B03._

What? Roy turned, heart pounding.

“—and no matter what, _don’t slow down_ until the chrysalis is completely neutralized,” Atom ordered.

“Wally?” Dick turned around questioningly, catching Artemis’ eyes.

“Damn it Walls,” she groaned, starting to walk toward the bay where Miss Martian’s bioship was parked. “If he gets himself seriously hurt doing this I’m _so_ gonna kill him,” she muttered exasperatedly.

“Let’s go,” Dick said, touching Kaldur’s arm. Kaldur nodded, letting go of Roy’s hand.

“I’ll come too,” Roy said.

“No,” Kal said firmly. “Your place is here with the League. We will bring them home.”

“Kal—”

“No,” Kal ordered, looking him dead in the eye. “I will not say it again.”

“Hey, you don’t get to order me around. If you’re going to go risk your life out there,” Roy growled, “I should be able to—”

“You have already done so tonight.” Kal reminded him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Stay. Here.” Roy’s shoulder’s slumped under Kal’s touch, the worry cracking through his expression.

“Fine, but be careful.” Roy insisted.

“I always am. Have faith in them, Roy. Our speedsters never let us down,” Kal said, more gently.

“I know,” Roy nodded, watching them all pile into the bioship and Zeta away.

 

Roy paced back and forth across the Watchtower's meeting room floor. What the hell was taking so long? Considering he was still here to complain about it, Flash, Impulse, and Wally had to have been successful at this point, so why were they taking so long to come back?

Dinah watched him concernedly. “Roy, they’ll come home.” She reassured him.

“You don’t know that.” Roy growled, still pacing. He tried and failed to clear hypothetical images of blood and electricity pounding through his mind, terror gripping his heart. He’d been out of the game too long, he thought to himself. He was never this shaken up. He just couldn’t help himself. Nearly all of his closest friends were out there without him right now.

 _“Flash to Watchtower. It’s over.”_ Barry’s tired voice came in over the comm. Roy’s head snapped up, cheers and whoops erupting around the room. Dinah let out a breath and shot him a small smile, placing a hand on his arm.

“There, see?” She said. But something was sitting funny in the back of Roy’s mind. Had there been something kind of off about Barry’s tone? He shook his head. No, Barry was just exhausted. Of course he was. Get it together, Harper, they did it! The corners of his mouth rose up in a small, shaky grin.

“We should get back on the ground,” Ollie said, looking as relieved as Roy felt. “The rest of the League who were off on Rimbor should be coming home any minute too. It’ll be easier for all of us, including everyone in the arctic, to meet down on Earth than up here.”

“Right, yeah. Let’s go,” Roy agreed, nearly bounding to the Zeta tubes.

 

When they arrived by the ruins of Mount Justice, Roy spotted Kal immediately. Roy broke into a huge grin, never more happy to see that stupid red and black suit, and made his way to him. The closer he got, however, the better he could see everyone’s faces, and the more his steps slowed. The grin slid off his face. Something...something was wrong.

Kal was speaking quietly and at length with Batman and Superman, a grave look on his face. Probably explaining the situation. Roy shuddered. He didn’t envy having to go through with _that_ conversation. Glancing behind Kal, Roy noticed a number of the team assembled by the super-cycle behind them, all whispering in various pairs and groups with arms wrapped around one another and lots of downturned faces. Not exactly the picture of victory he’d been anticipating. He did a quick head count, frowned, then did it again. Flash, Impulse, Artemis and Wally were missing. Had they all gone straight home? He guessed he couldn’t blame them, they must be wiped after running their asses off like that. He walked over to Dick, who was standing oddly stiff off to the side.

“Nightwing,” Roy prodded him. Dick didn’t respond, seemingly out of it. “Hey, you alright?” Roy asked again, facing him directly and clasping the side of Dick’s neck. “What is it? What the hell happened out there?”

Dick looked up slowly, leaning his head into Roy’s hand as though he didn’t quite have the strength to hold it up on his own anymore. Roy’s heart stuttered. Even with the domino mask concealing his eyes, it was clear Dick was far away from any realm of ‘fine.’

“Dickie, come on, talk to me,” Roy whispered furtively. “What is it?”

“Roy…” Dick croaked, tears leaking out of the corners of his mask. “It...it’s Wally, he,” Dick couldn’t finish. He seemed to be trying very hard to repress a shudder. Roy’s face went slack. No.

For a moment, his mind felt like it was moving through molasses. The thought trying to gain purchase was too impossible. It kept getting lost along the way. After all, it was laughable. A world without Wally? Without _their_ Wally? Without his big dumb smile and the fiery red streak of his hair zooming away? Without his stupid one-liners and his endless appetite and his goddamn perfect green eyes? That wasn’t a reality that could exist. That simply wasn’t a possibility.

“Dick…?” Roy asked. It sounded like a plea. Dick quivered harder, shaking his head.

No.

No, this wasn’t. This couldn’t. No. Just, _no_.

He swayed on the spot, felt a strong hand grasp his shoulder. The webbing caressed his skin in a comforting, familiar way, but it was like he couldn’t see. Couldn’t speak. He wanted to hit something but he also couldn’t move.

“Roy,” he heard Kaldur’s voice in his ear as though through a long tunnel.

“Tell me he’s alive, Kal. For fucks sake, _please_ tell me he’s alive,” he heard himself beg. He found the capacity to move his head again and swiveled it to face Kaldur’s. As soon as their eyes met, though, Roy wished they hadn’t. Kal was trying to remain strong, composed, but underneath Roy could see the hurt clear as day. And he hadn’t seen that kind of raw pain on Kaldur’s face since Tula died.

The reality of it snapped everything back into place, the odd feeling of swimming through numbness replaced by a hurt crashing down hard on his chest. It was too much, he could feel _way_ too much. He started shaking. Kal wrapped his arm more firmly around Roy and brought their foreheads together. Roy dragged Dick in along with him and all three clung to each other, trying not to feel the space in the middle where Wally should have been standing for them to hug for his victory in saving the world.

 

_Hey, this is Artemis’ phone. I’m not here, clearly, so you know the drill. *Beep*_

“Hey, Artemis, it’s Roy. I, uh, just wanted to tell you—just wanted to say…” Roy sighed. “Shit, Art, I’m so sorry. So, _so_ , sorry. I...I almost wish I could say I have no idea what you must be feeling, but unfortunately for both of us, I think I do. He was...well, you know. Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is my door’s open if you, you know, need anything. Anytime. And uh, Lian’s sending you a wave. I’ll be having her a lot the next few weeks, so come and see her whenever you’d like. I, uh, hear kids are good for grief. Anyway, take care of yourself, alright? Talk to you soon.”

Roy hung up the cell, tossing it haphazardly onto the cushion beside him, and rubbed a hand across his face. Lian snuggled more comfortably into the crook of his arm. He stroked her hair gently, mouth gaping into a yawn.

“Get some sleep, Red,” Jade said, lifting Lian gently out of his arms and rocking her.

“What about you? You’ve already had her all day today, and that’s on top of yesterday during the crisis.”

“I’m her mother,” Jade shrugged, “that’s what I do.”

“Jade, really, I’m fine—” Roy protested, but she silenced him with a look.

“No, you’re not. And I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. _Sleep._ ” She sat next to him, turning his face toward hers with the tip of her finger. “Staying awake isn’t doing any of us any favors. You’re grieving, Roy, and sleep is healing.”

“It’s not even dark out yet. Besides, I’m not tired,” Roy lied, swallowing another yawn. Truthfully he just wasn’t ready to face sleep again after the awful nightmares he’d had the night before full of chasing after electric yellow light only to find Wally’s still, unsmiling face.

Jade shrugged, getting up. “Fine. Do what you want, but I’m not going to enable you by leaving Lian here. If you need us, I’ll be going for a...nighttime stroll.” she said vaguely, a hint of mischievousness glittering in her eyes.

Roy’s brow furrowed. “With the baby? Really, Jade? We’ve talked about this.”

“Relax, Red. It’s just a walk.” She said innocently.

“I thought you wanted to see your sister?”

“That too, after,” she shrugged. “If I know Artemis, and I do, she wants to be alone for a little while first.”

Roy sighed. “Will I ever be able to stop you from doing...this?”

“Not on your life,” she winked, leaning lithely over him to kiss just above his ear. “As if you’d really have it any other way.”

He kind of hated it when she was right.

 

After four drinks and an hour or two of pacing, Roy finally tried giving sleep a shot, to little success. No matter how much he tossed and turned he couldn’t get comfortable. Every time sleep started to take hold of him, his nerves jolted him back to wakefulness. He groaned in annoyance at himself. When did he become so damn fragile?

He walked back to the kitchen counter, picking up one of the only framed photos he’d bothered to keep with him. It was an old one, back in the early days just after the ‘original four,’ as he liked to think of them, first became friends. It was a goofy pose: Roy’s arm held a struggling Wally in a headlock as the younger red-head stuck his tongue out, Kal smiled with an arm wrapped around Roy, posture slightly bent with one eye closed due to Dick clambering up on Kal’s back so he could hold up bunny ears behind both their heads with that huge maniacal grin of his. He couldn’t remember the last time he actually saw Dick smile like that.

He traced the freckles on Wally’s face, an ache in his chest. If he was taking this whole thing hard, he barely wanted to think how shit Dick must be coping right now. They’d all been close, but it was no secret that Dick and Wally had been _best_ friends. On occasion, he’d even wondered if they’d never been, well, _more._ He placed the photo back down, moving to the door and grabbing his jacket. This was stupid. If Dick, Wally, and Kal had taught him nothing else in the past few years while he was struggling, trying to shut them all out when he was at his lowest, it was that going it alone wasn’t the answer. They were in this together, so those of them that were left should _be_ together.

 

Roy pulled his jacket tighter around him. It was unseasonably chilly in the quiet, gritty streets of Bludhaven as he made his way from the hidden Zeta platform towards Dick’s apartment by the waterfront. A block away, he stopped in a convenience store, picking up a case of beer and some basics to fill Dick’s perpetually empty cupboards. He swung the bag over his shoulder as he walked, occasional lights shining in the apartment windows of his fellow insomniacs. As the building came into his line of sight, he thanked whatever small amount of luck he had left that he hadn’t run into any typical late-night civilian incidents on his way there, unsure he had enough energy to be useful to anyone but his ‘target’ tonight.

He climbed the stairs to Dick’s front door, grabbing the spare key from a hidden compartment in one of the large hinges and opening the door silently, not bothering to knock. The lights were all off but for the blinking appliances in the kitchen and laptop charger in the living room. Roy stepped carefully, placing the groceries on the counter and rounding the kitchen table to step onto the living room carpet. Light from the lampposts outside leaked through the closed blinds _just_ enough for him to see the outlines of furniture as he picked his way toward the person-shaped lump sprawled out on the couch.

Even in the dark, Roy could tell the room was a mess. The smell of yesterday’s takeout was coming from somewhere. Scraps of crumpled paper crunched beneath his steps as he ran his hands along the backs of chairs, feeling the crusted fabric of bloody t-shirts tossed haphazardly onto them. He crouched next to the couch, able to notice now that Dick was still in most of his nightwing attire, the mask dangling on his fingertips. Roy placed it on the cluttered coffee table, draping a blanket from the back of the couch over his friend, then started cleaning up the debris. It was a sign of Dick’s pure exhaustion that he didn’t begin to stir until Roy turned on the washing machine.

Hearing him waking, Roy flipped on a lamp and approached, hands up, as Dick sprang up in a panic. Dick stared, confused and muddled by sleep, escrima sticks in hand, poised to attack.

“Just me, Dickiebird. It’s alright,” Roy said slowly. Dick lowered his weapons, breathing more steadily.

“Roy?” he asked hoarsely, clearing his throat. Roy shot him a half smile. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing like that,” Roy reassured. “Just checking up on you, that’s all.” Dick exhaled heavily, sitting back down and running a hand through his hair.

“You don’t have to do that,” he said evenly.

“No kidding,” Roy said, picking up the trash bag he’d been using and moving it by the door to take out later. Dick watched him neutrally.

“Really, Roy, not that I don’t appreciate the maid service, but I’m fine,” Dick said firmly. Roy snorted, cracking open one of the beers he brought and joining Dick on the couch.

“Well I’m not,” Roy admitted, taking a swig then holding it out. Dick side-eyed the can for a moment, then took it. He tossed his head back, gulping down half the can in one go then shook his head, spluttering a bit and making a face, as he handed it back.

“How do you drink that shit regularly?” Dick asked.

“Simple. I like getting drunk, but I don’t like spending a lot of money to do it.” Roy said, putting the can down on a coaster in front of Dick and grabbing a new one for himself. “You get used to it if you’re motivated.” Dick rolled his eyes, but picked the can up again, finishing the drink off in three more goes, crinkling his nose all the while.

They sat in companionable silence for awhile, Dick leaning back into the couch as Roy nursed his drink far more slowly. As Roy placed his empty can on the table, Dick sat forward, massaging his temples.

“Roy?” He asked quietly.

“Mm?” Roy murmured.

“Did I bring this on him?” Dick’s voice shook. Roy frowned.

“You’re not seriously deluded enough to blame yourself for this.”

“Shouldn’t I be?” Dick asked hoarsely. “He was _retired_ , Roy. He and Artemis were happy away from all of this, just living a normal life. But I was too selfish to let things stay that way.”

“Artemis could have said no, Dick. That was _her_ choice. Same with Wally, when you and Kal called everyone in. He didn’t have to show up —”

“Of course he did,” Dick said bitterly. “You and I both know him better than to honestly think he would have felt like there was a choice. It isn’t—wasn’t—in his DNA to just sit by when the world is under attack.”

“You still didn’t force him to be there,” Roy argued. “And you sure as hell didn’t force him to run out of the Watchtower for that last MFD. He knew the risks, we all did.”

“But if I’d just—”

“Then we’d be dead,” Roy said firmly. “He saved us, Dick. All of us, the whole fucking planet,” his voice broke. He cleared it, speaking more softly. “I miss him too. I don’t know what the hell to do with myself because I miss him so much already, but blaming ourselves for the sacrifice he _chose_ to make? Not gonna help, D.”

Dick covered his face with his hands. Roy pulled him into a hug, stroking Dick’s hair as he sniffled into his shirt.

“You remember that one time in Coast City when we learned Wally’s real name for the first time?” Roy asked. “We were supposed to just discreetly scope out a park, in all civilian clothes, but some toddler reached over their dad’s shoulder and grabbed the hat Wally was wearing. His bright red hair stuck out like a sore fucking thumb, and some transfer kid that used to go to Wally’s elementary school in Keystone recognized him, blabbing on about how funny it was to run into ‘Wahh-lly West,'” he mimicked. “We teased him about it the whole rest of the day. He claimed it was just a weird accent, but Barry let it slip that it was a nickname Wally picked up in first grade because he cried every day for the first week of school when his mom would drop him off,” Roy snorted. “He always thought he could hide that he was a sensitive little dork, as if we didn’t know better,” he said fondly.

“That’s when _you_ first found out,” Dick corrected. “I already knew.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Wow, color me surprised, detective.”

Dick gave a muffled, watery laugh. “He told me. I didn’t have to figure it out.” He sat up a little, wiping his eyes.

“Well he did always trust you most,” Roy said with a small, sad smile. Dick’s own smile faded.

“At one point, maybe,” Dick said quietly. “But this past year? No. I lost some of that,” he gulped fists clenching, “and now I’ll never have the chance to earn it back.” Roy sighed.

“You know, a few months ago I thought that was the case for me with you, Wally _and_ Kal,” Roy said gently. “Figured after what I was doing, you’d all drop me like a bad joke. I even wanted you to, to some extent. Thought I deserved it. But then you guys showed up at that rooftop anyway, trying to help me out no matter how much I pushed you away,” he squeezed Dick’s shoulder. “So what if you guys left off with some unresolved trust issues? At the end of the day, Wally still loved you, Dick. Even when he was angry, even when he doubted your plan, you really think that ever wasn’t the case?” Dick shook his head. “Exactly, no way,” Roy reassured. Dick chuckled slightly.

“You’re starting to sound like Dinah,” Dick said thickly, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

“Yeah, well biweekly sessions with her for months will do that,” Roy said sheepishly. Dick leaned into another of Roy’s gruff hugs.

“Thanks, Roy,” he mumbled into Roy’s shoulder.

“Don’t mention it,” he murmured back. “Though I’m gonna need to drink more if you wanna keep this up. Like I told Kal the other day, I don’t have the same stamina for all this sappy stuff that you do.”

Dick smiled. “In that case, you might want to look in the pantry. I’m not subjecting myself to another one of those cheap beers.” Roy raised an eyebrow, disentangling himself and crossing to the kitchen pantry. Inside, on the otherwise empty shelves, sat a bottle of top shelf whiskey. Roy held it up incredulously.

“Dick?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re _19_.” Roy emphasized, pointing to the bottle.

“Yeah…and?” Dick raised an eyebrow.

“ _And_ you’re one of the most ‘on the straight and narrow’ kids in the fucking galaxy.” Roy said bluntly. “So where the hell did you get this?”

“Batman doesn’t drink much,” Dick shrugged, wiping his eyes. “I haven’t tried it yet, but figured he wouldn’t care.”

“Wouldn’t care? Jesus fucking Christ, if I ever took—”

“—borrowed—” Dick corrected.

“— _borrowed_ a bottle of anything this expensive from Ollie, he’d put an _arrow_ in my _leg_ ,” Roy said disbelievingly. Dick smiled.

“Remind me to blame you then if I drink too much of it.”

Roy shook his head. “Maybe you shouldn’t spend time with me after all, I’m ruining you.” Dick rolled his eyes.

“Just pour the whiskey, Roy.”

Roy rummaged around Dick’s cabinets searching for suitable glasses, ultimately settling for the first two clean ones he found, and poured a small amount of amber liquid for each of them. Dick accepted his with a murmured thanks as Roy rejoined him on the couch. Roy held his glass up in a little salute.

“To Wally,” he said quietly.

Dick agreed softly, echoing Roy and clinking their glasses. They sipped simultaneously, the drink burning satisfyingly down Roy’s throat, displacing the burning he’d already felt creeping _up_ it as the weight of their loss once again prodded at his insides. Dick wedged himself against Roy’s side again, the downward tilt of his brows suggesting he felt the same. Roy swallowed a heavy sigh, wrapping an arm lightly around Dick’s shoulders and settling back into the couch.

They lapsed back into comfortable silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts, which slowly grew fuzzier and more fluid as they continued nursing their drinks. Roy let his eyes wander around the apartment, noting how, underneath all the clutter, there wasn’t much in the way of personal effects. The room was adorned in a straightforward and sensible modern style, more like a showroom out of a catalogue than a lived in space. Sporadically, however, a handful of handmade crafts lay scattered across shelves or stuck in cubbies. A little black and blue decorative dish. A clay flowerpot with marigolds growing in it. A photo collage of their teammates at various off-duty get togethers and hangouts with a goofy photo of Dick and Wally featured prominently in the center. A little glass bat with a slightly crooked wing.

“Nearly all of those came from Wally,” Dick commented, following his gaze. “He said my apartment was too bare. That I should decorate more to give it some personality. I never really saw the point, but I guess he was always the sentimental one when it came to collecting stuff.”

“Like with all the souvenirs,” Roy’s mouth quirked up. “If the mountain didn’t blow, you probably never would have convinced him to get rid of all that junk. Not that the JLA are any better.” Dick snorted.

“Yeah, you should see the Batcave’s ‘trophies.’ It’s getting unreal.” Dick’s eyes softened as he glanced at the photo collage. “Guess it’s nice to have them now, though. I don’t have much else that was his,” he trailed off, swallowing. Roy nodded understandingly. He doubted the Wests would deny Dick if he wanted to keep a little something of Wally’s, but the thought of having to go through his things, to sort it and pack it and decide what needed to be done with it all...it was too overwhelming, too soon, to think about. He wondered if Artemis could even bear staying at her and Wally’s apartment right now.

“You know,” Dick said waveringly. “For the first time in a long time, I _really_ don’t know what to do now.” Roy let out a long breath, staring at Wally’s glossy smile on the wall.

“What we always fucking do,” he said quietly, laugh coming out bitter. “Business as usual. Just heavier.”


	3. Chapter 3

It was five in the morning and Lian was crying. 

Roy groaned, burying his face in his pillow. The sound had finally stopped giving him a heart attack every time it pulled him rudely out of sleep, and he hardly had to think as he rolled toward the crib set up next to his bed. She was standing, hands clutching the railing, and wailing like she was trying to prove a point. At least, until she noticed she had Roy’s attention. As soon as her eyes opened to meet his, the crying subsided to hiccups, her grabby little fist reaching for him.

Roy sighed, rubbing one eye, and scooped her tiny frame into his arms. He knew Lian could sleep later into the morning if she really wanted to. It had taken a few weeks for her to adjust to being in his apartment full-time, sure, and a couple more for her to get used to Jade’s...lack of check-ins. But now he was starting to think it wasn’t the transition upsetting her. She just liked him being at her beck and call.

“Wonder who you got _that_ from,” he yawned, adjusting her slightly as he rubbed her back. She ignored him, grabbing at a button on his shirt curiously. It suddenly occurred to him that he never changed out of his clothes the night before.

He groaned inwardly, rubbing a hand over his face, then placed Lian down again. He didn’t even have patrol as an excuse, he thought, tossing off his shirt and changing into some sweatpants. He picked up his fussing daughter again, murmuring to her comfortingly and kissing her cheek as he bounced her on his hip. He’d cut way back this month so he could focus on her. Not to mention making time for a heavier workload of techy side projects to try to pay the (suddenly much higher) bills. It was...mostly doing the job.

He yawned again, stepping into the kitchen and mechanically going through the motions of getting the coffee started. Lian’s curious eyes fixated on him as he moved, her nose scrunching in displeasure as she hid in his neck from the loud sound of the grinder. Roy chuckled.

“Sorry, pumpkin,” he kissed her again, “but trust me, you do _not_ wanna see what Daddy is like without his daily dose of caffeine.” 

He felt around the back of his cupboard with a frown, coming up empty in his pursuit of a mug. With a sigh, he fished one out of the mountain of dirty dishes—yet another thing that had fallen by the wayside that week—and rinsed it off. He filled it to the brim seconds before the coffee maker’s tell-tale beep, Lian watching the steam curl in fascination as he let it cool on the counter, out of reach of her tiny, wandering fingers. 

His sigh deepened as he turned to give the living room a sweeping assessment. The sprawling assortment of parts he needed for his side projects were filed away neatly, as were Lian’s toys. However, he couldn’t tell the difference between the laundry basket filled with clean clothes waiting to be folded, and the one filled with dirty clothes waiting to be washed, and the trash by the printer was overflowing with ripped paper and empty noodle cups.

He frowned. When was the last time he _vacuumed?_ Two weeks ago? Three? And, shit, the bookshelf and TV stand were _coated_. He didn’t want Lian to be breathing in dust, what if she was allergic? He was pretty sure he’d been cleaning the toilet weekly, but what about the rest of the bathroom?

Fuck, he was behind on _everything_.

He smoothed Lian’s hair, pressing another kiss to her forehead and breathing her in. God, how did all the single parents he’d known growing up make this look so easy? There wasn’t enough time in the day.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he set up Lian’s pack-and-play in the living room and plopped her in with a favorite stuffed animal. Satisfied that she was fully absorbed, he grabbed his mug, chugging the scalding liquid down black, then turned to do what he always did nowaday when he needed to get his shit together. 

She picked up on the first ring.

“Wow, almost like clockwork,” Artemis answered without preamble.

“Yeah, yeah. You got a minute?” Roy asked.

“Depends, is it for you or my considerably more adorable niece?” she asked lightly. He could hear the smirk in her tone.

“She misses you,” he said truthfully.

“‘Course she does, I spoil her rotten. So, you want me to swing by?” she guessed correctly.

“Just for a few hours, if you can spare it.”

“Got it. Twelve-ish then? I’ll bring sandwiches,” she offered. Roy poked his head into his sparsely filled fridge. It was about 90% baby food and 10% beer.

“That...would actually be perfect,” he said gratefully. She snorted.

“Right. Some groceries too, then.”

“Thanks, ‘Mis. I’ll owe you one,” he said, relieved. That would be one less thing to worry about.

“Careful, Harper. One of these days I’ll cash all those in,” she said amusedly. He rolled his eyes.

“Fine, how ‘bout I cook dinner next time and we’ll call it even,” he offered.

“Fair enough,” she allowed. “See you in a few.”

 

+

 

“You cut your hair,” Roy noted when Artemis arrived. She shrugged, tucking a lock of her now chin-length bob behind her ear. 

“It was that or go bald from Lian grabbing at it all the time,” she said with a wry smile, dumping  plastic grocery bags on the table and pulling out two long subs. 

Lian babbled loudly at the sound of her voice, waving a tiny fist in Artemis’ direction, a giant grin plastered on her face. Artemis smiled softly back, sweeping Lian up into the air and blowing a raspberry into her tummy.

Roy watched them neutrally, mentally counting the seconds as he assessed her, noting the way she was favoring her left leg and wearing Wally’s Stanford sweatshirt. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign. She hadn’t touched his things in months. With Lian as a distraction, he got to a record-breaking seventeen before she noticed, instinctively fixing her stance, closing herself off. He rolled his eyes.

“What?” she snapped defensively.

“You didn’t get turkey again did you?” he asked, walking past her to unwrap a sub.

“Oh I’m sorry, you want a knuckle sandwich instead?” she mocked, bouncing Lian on her hip. Roy snorted, covering his mouth to keep his food from spilling out. 

“I’m sorry, _what_ decade are you from?” he laughed, once he swallowed down his bite.

“Oh just eat it, you ungrateful boob.”

“Don’t talk to your elders that way, brat,” he tossed back habitually. 

“You’re _literally_ nine,” she retorted bluntly over her shoulder, taking out food for Lian.

“...Touché.”

She shook her head exasperatedly, the smallest hint of a smile flitting across her mouth, and it seemed he was off the hook. It wasn’t like he’d be able to get her to talk about either thing anyhow. There was an unspoken agreement that they didn’t do the whole serious heart-to-heart thing unless one of them was being an absolute, flaming, intervention-worthy asshole or they’d emptied a bottle of wine between them.

He quickly let Lian’s happy gurgles fade into background as he finished eating, letting Artemis entertain her while he dug up cleaning products and got to work on the apartment. He wondered again how it was possible for one adult and one baby to accumulate _so much_ laundry and trash.

Mercifully, Artemis let him be as he worked. Keeping any comments to herself as he ripped the place apart and put it back together again. It was only once he was almost finished, tackling the dishes last, that she placed Lian back in her playpen and moved to lean on the counter. 

“Red?”

“Hm?” He acknowledged, still scrubbing.

“I saw Dick yesterday,” she said quietly. Roy turned, surprised.

“What? Where?” he asked, putting down the sponge. She tossed a hand up in irritable exasperation.

“He just came home. Showed up like it was no big deal,” she said, dragging the words out. “Barbara was furious,” she added dryly.

“Well _that’s_ nothing new,” Roy said, drying his hands. “How’d he look?” he asked tentatively.

“Honestly?” She asked, hugging her arms across her chest. “Kind of like you did.”

She didn’t need to mention when. He swallowed, hands clenching. 

“Did Kal talk to him?” he asked. “I mean _really_ talk to him?”

“He tried, I think.”

Roy sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Fucking bats,” he muttered under his breath.

“Have _you_ talked to Kal lately?” she asked, fixing him with a look he didn’t know how to place.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked warily. Artemis shrugged. He narrowed his eyes at her. She walked back to the living room and bent to kiss Lian’s cheek.

“If you’re done, I’ve gotta bounce,” she said breezily, shoving her hands in her sweatshirt pockets as she walked past him toward the door. He caught her by the shoulder.

“Artemis,” he warned.

“Roy,” she mimicked. 

“What’s wrong with Kal?” he asked firmly.

“Nothing,” she said, oddly not shrugging him off. “I’m just saying. You should call him.” He glared, perplexed. She rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Look,” she shifted her gaze away uncomfortably, vulnerably. “You’re not the only one she’s left, okay?” Roy stiffened. She paused, pursing her lips, then forced her eyes back to his, defiant yet gentle. “Trust me. At some point, you just have to move on.”

He held her gaze a moment, understanding passing between them. He let his hand fell back to his side.

Without standing in the right light, it was easy to overlook just how many of his hidden cracks lay starkly mirrored on her.

With one last wave to Lian, she walked to the door.

“Just...reach out to them, okay?” She said over her shoulder, halfway into the hall.

He wrapped his arms tightly around his chest as he watched the door fall closed behind her.


End file.
